Throughout the Bible you will find short declarations of the Good News. Below I have listed short gospels from Paul, Peter, James, John and Jesus. I also have one each from Spurgeon and Calvin. But what I would really like to hear is yours. What is your short version of the gospel? Everyone should have one for those small windows of opportunity.

If you want to send in your short gospel (use the comment form below), remember three things: (1) The gospel is news – it’s an announcement, not an appeal. (2) The gospel is good news. There’s no bad news in the good news. Hell and judgment are real, but they’re not good news. (3) For maximum appeal, a good gospel should be simple. One famous theologian once summarized the gospel as adoption through propitiation. It’s a good summary but it has limited appeal. It won’t make much sense to the man in the street.

As we will see in below, the best short gospels use simple language and are self-explanatory:

1 word: Jesus! You cannot improve upon perfection and there’s no other name by which we’re saved (Acts 4:12). Grace and truth are found in Jesus. Jesus saves sinners and keeps Christians. Whatever your need, the answer is Jesus. Are you struggling with sin? Jesus is your victory. Are you suffering with illness? Jesus is your healing. Are you bound up with depression? Jesus is your freedom.

2 words: Christ alone! If we must add one word to the name “Jesus” or His proper title “Christ,” let it be the qualifier “alone.” He alone saves us. He doesn’t need our help, just our trust.

6 words: Saved by Christ; kept by Christ. Many Christians believe only the first part of that statement. They believe that Jesus gave them a fresh start, but not a new life. Instead of confessing their sonship, they are still confessing their sins. Instead of resting in the gift of his righteousness, they are striving to make themselves righteous through their good works, their self-denial, or their observance of traditions, rules and regulations. The good news is better than they think!

7 words: “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” ~ John 1:17. Think of a firefighter smashing through a concrete wall to save trapped orphans. That’s what Jesus did for us. When all hope was lost, He came. Now that’s good news!

8 words: “Christ died, was buried, then rose. He reigns!” ~ Paul (1 Cor 15:3-4,25). Everyone quotes the first 3 bits of Paul’s gospel and misses the punch-line. Read the whole chapter of 1 Corinthians 15. The good news is not just about what He’s done, but what He’s doing (He’s reigning!) and yet to do (until all His enemies have been put under His feet).

10 words: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” ~ Jesus (Jn 14:6). As the song says, without the way there is no going, without the truth there is no knowing, and without the life, there is no living.

11 words: “When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train.” ~ David (Ps 68:19). Ever seen those movies where the good guy beats the bad guy but then foolishly forgets to check whether the villain’s really been neutralized? Jesus is not like that! He has enslaved slavery, bound bondage, and captured captivity. Where are Jesus’ foes? They’re in His train – shackled and disarmed!

12 words: “God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” ~ Peter (Acts 2:36). The Messiah whom the Jews looked for, has been exalted, made supreme, so that our sins might be forgiven and the Holy Spirit given (see Acts 2:38)

20 words: “The Son of God became the Son of Man that the Sons of Men might become the Sons of God.” John Calvin may or may not have said this – I can’t verify the source – but it’s true and it’s good news.

And that’s it! What do you think? Can you convey the joy of the good news in just a few words? I would love to hear your short gospel.

‘chillitisdone!!!’ I know, I know … I am cheating. Good one Paul, you are now cutting to the ‘bone’. We need to keep it simple and by limiting to a few words, what is in the heart becomes vivid! My short word(s) actually popped into my head a few weeks ago when I wanted to respond anonymously on a article in the newspaper. PS I just finished ‘Me, myself and Bob’ – excellent stuff! Very relevant in my own life and also very freeing.
Blessings, Muller

The gospel of the finished and perfect work of Jesus that has taken away the sin of the world, breaks the power and dominion of sin, making us identical to Jesus, purging our conscience from dead works of self-righteousness, so that we may dwell in the secret place of the most High (Christ) and enjoy our union with Father in spirit and truth, being fully blessed, healed, and thoroughly prepared for every good work.

When I first came to E2R this was good news to me. It felt like you were reading my mind and that Christianity utterly succeeds at what it was made for, everyone I know would appreciate it. Since then I’ve wondered whether this is a clear demonstration of the Gospel. Thank you for believing in it nonetheless. It sounds so wrong doesn’t it! Well maybe for the believer it is true.

Hi Carl. Most of your comments were violating my comment policy (“Keep it ad free”). Since you were new here, I turned a blind eye. But eventually I had to draw the line. WordPress allows you to put your website in your identifier. That should be sufficient.

I love this site and here in Michigan 1000’s of Christians were wearing 2word story badges last year. It was amazing how many people asked me what mine meant. Rest? Rest We were supposed to have a short testimony to answer people who asked. My answer was I can rest because God did the rest for me. It lead to some good discussions. It is worth a google to check it out. World wide it would be awsum

2 words: Amazing Promise (Jesus is the complete fulfillment of God’s amazing promise (covenant) to us of God’s unconditional, forever-love…amazing (promise of) grace! Jeremiah 33:14,16b). Amazing Promise How Sweet The Sound ~ This is a play-on-words of the song lyrics Amazing Grace How Sweet The Sound (Rom 10:17).

7 words: He is good; His love endures forever ~ There is right at 100 verses in the Old Testament that associate LORD (YHWH) with God’s unfailing love, God’s faithful love, and His love endures forever. If He’s told us once what His Name means, He’s told us 100 times! Jesus is LORD!

Jesus is YHWH!
🙂
i actually just “got” this revelation recently in my word studies… and now understand why confessing “Jesus is LORD” is – and was – such a proclamation of faith! (especially for new Jewish believers!) when we make this connection – we are actually saying that we believe Jesus is the eternal YHWH come to earth as man!

Amen. John 1 – the Word, the Promise of God, became flesh. Allowing God to repeat His Promise of love for you over and over with your own mouth will cause more than intellectual belief in Jesus. It’s the Gospel and when you hear His love over and over, it will cause your heart to trust God’s heart of love, Jesus! Only the Gospel and only Jesus’ Name of LORD have the Power to save you…because they are both one and the same!

Many thanks for this post, Paul, and for your “The Gospel in Ten Words” book. I’ve been asking myself this same question for about the last year. In light of the Finished Work of the Cross how would I express the Gospel to a new friend, aka, former stranger. Or if somebody asked me what I believe on a 30 second elevator ride. It’s always encouraging to find others are thinking along the same lines.

BTW, I think the basic idea behind “The Son of God became the Son of Man that the Sons of Men might become the Sons of God.” originated with Irenaeus and was repeated by Athanasius as “God became man, that man might become God” or variants thereof because of the translation from Greek to English. It’s a basic idea pretty much foreign to Western church thinking until recently, but well-known as deification or theosis in the Eastern Orthodox thinking and practice.

First time poster here. I’ve been browsing this site all day, and what a refreshing find! I really enjoy these minimalist posts on the gospel. It reminds me of movie loglines. The so called ‘elevator pitch.’ So, I’ve been inspired to write a few movie loglines that contain the gospel in the pitch.
First, a legal thriller: “A lawyer works 24/7 to defend himself, only to find his case is the same as his accuser’s!” — The AntiNomian
Next, a drama: “Guilty, suffering, and near death, a man looks not to redeem his past, but to secure his future.” — Remember Me